


More Than What I Expected

by RazzGamer5



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, add tags as story progresses, itaru and citron are aged down for this, tsumugi is the teacher in this bc why not
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:00:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24077107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RazzGamer5/pseuds/RazzGamer5
Summary: “This is our new student, Citron. I expect you to treat him with lots of respect and be kind to him. Say hello, Citron,” the teacher, Mr. Tsukioka, says to the class.“I am Citron! I am pleased to cake your acquaintances.”What an introduction…, Itaru thinks.
Relationships: Chigasaki Itaru/Citron
Comments: 8
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had an idea of CitoIta being high schoolers and now here we are. Enjoy.

“This is our new student, Citron. He’s an exchange student from Zahra and isn’t completely fluent in Japanese so please do help him out as much as possible. I expect you to treat him with lots of respect and be kind to him. Say hello, Citron,” the teacher, Mr. Tsukioka, says to the class.

“I am Citron! I am pleased to cake your acquaintances. I am sure that we will all be the best of friends!” the slightly dark-skinned student says.

_ What an introduction…,  _ Itaru thinks.  _ Geez, it’s high school though. We’re really still doing the whole ‘introduction’ stuff? Gotta be kiddin’ me. _

Itaru is what you would call an introvert. He doesn’t really think he needs friends.

At all. They only ever get the way of things. 

So when this Zahran exchange student approaches him during lunch, he is as confused as ever. No one ever approaches him.  _ No one. _ And he’d like to keep it that way.

“Your name is Itaru, is it not?”

“Uhh...yeah. I’m Itaru.”

As Citron sits down next to Itaru with his tray of food, Itaru manages a measly, “Wait, why are you-“

“You know,” Citron starts (is he ignoring Itaru or…). “You have a very pretty face, Itaru.”

“Wha-What.”

“I am simply complimenting you. I speak nothing less of the truth, after all!”

“I don't think…” Itaru sighs. “Listen, no offense, but I’m not really looking to be all buddy-buddy with anyone, much less some stranger from another country that just entered this school, got it?”

Citron has a puzzled look on his face when Itaru finishes his sentence.  _ Shoot, did I speak too fast? _

“Er- I mean, it’s nothing.”

“So, this means that we are friends now!”

“…You know what. Sure.”

_ Friends, huh… _

“I will remember this grand meeting forever! This memory will be cherished and passed on forever!”

Before he realizes he’s saying it out loud, a soft chuckle and mutter of “Overdramatic, much?” escape him.

This, for some strange reason, makes Citron smile even brighter than before (which is saying something) as he keeps rambling.

Despite everything, Itaru still listens.

_ Friends… _

Maybe this won’t be so bad.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frankly, I'm not sure what I'm doing.

_ “What a freak. He’s so weird.” _

_ “I know, and he even hangs out with Itaru! Of all people!” _

_ “I know, right?” _

_ “He really is an oddity…” _

_ I wonder if they know I can hear them…  _

“Itaru, Itaru! Over here!”

It’s been a week (correction, five days) and Itaru has to say that he actually doesn’t really mind Citron’s company. He’d even say being with Citron makes him feel a little bit better at times. Though, he would never say that aloud, of course.

Citron waves his arms at him. “Itaru!”

It’s Saturday and they’re at a candy shop (Citron’s idea and honestly…that’s such a Citron thing). Itaru doesn’t see why he has to make a big commotion to get his attention, but Itaru supposes that’s just how Citron is.

“I know, I have eyes, you know.”

“Oh!”

“What is it.”

“Your eyes!”

“What about them.”

“They’re sparkling!”

“They…are?”

“Yes! They are so magical my heart is skipping beats!” 

“Wha…? Don’t just say stuff like that.”

“Oh! Why not?”

“It’s…I dunno, weird.”

“Weird?”

“Well…no, it’s just embarrassing I guess.” 

“Are you embarrassed, Itaru?”

“No! Wait, I-”

Citron laughs. “Let’s go in now!”

“…Yeah. Let’s go.”

Citron grabs Itaru’s hand (which catches him off guard, but he finds himself enjoying it regardless) and leads him inside. It’s a pretty short hangout (or so it seems, Itaru has never done anything like it before) and in a matter of twenty minutes or so, they exit with a bag of sweets each.

Oh, Itaru realizes it’s probably time for them to part ways now. He thinks he knows better than to, but still can’t help but be a little sad at the loss.

Why is he so against trying to avoid people anyway?

It was always a natural instinct to him. He never actually took the time to think of what reason he had to always avoid making friends and socializing.

He thinks hard and comes up with no specific reason in particular. He guesses…maybe a friend like Citron isn’t so bad.

Though, he does think he’s a big introvert. He likes the peace and quiet. Appreciates the ability to just be. 

Citron seems to be the exact opposite of all those things. Could be that cliche: Opposites attract? Nah, he’s getting too ahead of himself. Citron probably doesn’t see him any different from how he sees anyone else. This is all just a coincidence, right? So why does a small part of him still want to believe… 

“I guess I should go…”

“No, no! Please do not leave now! We have not reached the best part vet!”

“Best part? And it should be ‘yet’ not ‘vet’.”

“You will see, Itaru. Come with me!”

He grabs Itaru‘s hand once again and runs, Itaru barely keeping up if it weren’t for Citron hanging on to him, until they reach a lake.

Citron lets go of Itaru’s hand in order to raise his arms up and shout, “We are here!”

Itaru would chuckle if he wasn’t panting so hard. Citron seems unfazed. He has just as much stamina as he seems. Itaru has no stamina whatsoever. They really are opposites.

“Wait,” Itaru gets out. “Just give me a sec. I need to- …catch my breath.”

“Oh, sorry!”

“It’s fine,” Itaru says, breathing a bit more slowly this time. “I’m fine…”

Once Itaru’s breathing finally calms, he has a moment to enjoy the scenery. Citron is coincidentally quiet as he takes it all in.  _ It’s beautiful,  _ he thinks.  _ I’ve lived around here for how long and never realized this was here? _

It's such a nice moment, Itaru finds himself never wanting it to end. It’s just Citron, him, and lake. Nothing else seems to matter right then.

Maybe it’s a little selfish of him, but he just wants things to be like this forever. No, he should stop. This isn’t-

Citron, as if can read Itaru‘s mind, breaks him free of all his negative thoughts with a simple phrase. “Well, shall we begin?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream to me about CitoIta or any rarepair really, Twitter: @razzgamer5


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I now present to you: The shortest chapter in the universe! (Sorry, y'all, I know they're already pretty short anyways ;-;)

“Huh? Begin what exactly?”

Instead of just answering (like a normal person), Citron simply just puts his bag down, rolls up his pants, and jumps right in the lake.

Itaru is, well, he’s in shock. Who does that sort of thing? Well, if anyone’s crazy enough to do anything like that, Itaru supposes it would be Citron.

“Join me, Itaru!”

“What are you even doing anyway? Yeah, I think I’ll pass…”

“Don’t be like that, Itaru!” Citron steps out of the lake for a second then grabs Itaru, making him drop his bag, and makes Itaru jump into the lake with him. “See? Isn’t this fun?”

“Well…none of my clothes are really wet. I suppose doing something like this once in a while isn’t so bad.”

“Especially with me, right?”

“I-“ Itaru doesn’t know what to say. That totally catches him off guard. It shouldn’t but it does. How is Itaru even supposed to respond to that? He doesn’t want to lie to Citron but what about his pride?

Then he remembers. This is Citron he’s talking about. He’ll be fine. Citron, no matter what he says, will probably just give that same freaking smile that he always does. He finally responds with a flat, “Yeah.”

He only now realizes how stupid of a dilemma he just had. To make matters worse, even though he predicted it, Citron is flashing that smile at him and he doesn’t know why but it hecking  _ ruins him _ . Great, just great. He’s known this guy for a week or so and is already whipped for him.

Citron, laughing, says, “You make me happy too, Itaru!”

Itaru freaking stops working.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if updates are slow, I’m not good with longfics and will update only when I really want to.  
> Plus, I’m working on a lot right now in preparation for rarepair week so.  
> :]

_So_ , _this week_ , Itaru thinks, _has been…eventful, he could say._

This foreign student, a total enigma, just enters his life and now he can’t imagine living in a world without him. He’s just so--what would even be the right word?--bright. He stands out so much and is so unique and well, Itaru loves that about him. Itaru loves everything about him. He’s just so fascinating, so alluring. Itaru can’t get enough of him. 

So, the conclusion that Itaru comes to is that he really, really, _really_ likes Citron.

 _Great,_ he thinks. _A crush._

He hasn’t had one of those since, heck, elementary? He recalls getting one on a girl who played games with him occasionally, though he can’t even remember her name now and he got over it pretty quick anyway.

But now, he’s got it _bad._

He buries his head in his hands. _Ugh, this is such a cliche…_ Still, a smile escapes him. Having a crush is a bit terrifying to him but at the same time, it makes him so happy. Seeing that smile on Citron’s face, the way his eyes light up, it all makes him so, so happy.

His phone on the bed-stand dings, snapping him out of his thoughts. He reaches over to check it and sees that his LP has refilled. 

Ah, he’d usually put it to use immediately, but he’s feeling different today. He’s about to head downstairs for a snack and some soda when his phone sounds again.

_Ya kiddin’ me? What is it now?_

He has a message from an unknown number. The moment he reads it, he knows.

the wSLls have ears the doors HAVe eyes, and ZhE shadSows hVE citRon

What do you want

IAARUU

He didn’t just blush at that. His heart definitely doesn’t do some flips at that. No, not at all. Never. This is fine. He’s fine-

Ily <3

WHO TAUGHT HIM THAT?!

Itaru doubts he’ll survive this any longer. 

Why does Citron have to be so…affectionate. Itaru loves it but it also drives him nuts.

Itaru whatrre uy doiNg ?.

nothin, just chillin

mm bord iaruu 

What am I supposed to do about that

come ovrr!!! ><

He didn’t mean-

my adres ^^ [address]

But he did. And who is Itaru to decline?

Aight I’ll be there in a few

yay!! ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭* ̀ˋ

_This guy…_

The whole afternoon was a blur. The evening too. 

Itaru doesn’t really remember what happened. There was an older man there. Uncle, perhaps? He’s not sure. He never found out. 

He ended up staying at Citron’s until six. He didn’t intend to. It just kind of happened. He still hasn’t eaten dinner yet (too busy thinking about Citron) and his sister has been giving him weird looks. The heck? He decides to skip dinner today, grabbing a soda and some chips as a substitute. 

“That’s unhealthy, you know,” his sister says out of the blue. She’s leaning against his bedroom door, making it so that he’s unable to enter. “You haven’t eaten dinner, have you?”

“Shut up…” he mumbles. He really doesn’t need this right now. He’s tired and hungry. Can this woman ever let him have a moment of peace?

She’s in thought for a moment, then responds, “Fine…but you really should break that habit.”

“Nghmmm…”

She ruffles his hair. 

“Stop that,” he objects weakly. She takes her hand out of his hair and moves away from the door, sticking her tongue out playfully, and enters her own bedroom.

He sighs. _Annoying…_

He enters his room without bothering to shower and flops backwards onto his bed. _I’ll just refuel with chips and soda, use up my LP, and go to sleep._

Maybe he’ll bother to put PJs on. Maybe he won’t.

He goes to sleep that night in clothes he hasn’t changed out of, wondering whether Citron plays games like he does and if he plays the same ones as Itaru if he does.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah as y'all can see I've still been posting fics so I'm most def not dead or anything but.
> 
> I warned you updates would be iffy with this one. And I also warned you that my chapters are always really short. Anyway, I hope you enjoy^^

The next day, Monday to be exact, Itaru comes home in a pretty good mood. Though, seeing his sister with her hands on her hips in front of him the moment he steps inside almost completely ruins it.

She narrows her eyes, and without context asks, “Do you- Do you have a crush?”

“Huh?! Where’d that come from?” The words leave Itaru’s mouth a little too loudly for his liking.

“I just-” She averts her gaze to the side for a second before letting it return on Itaru, meeting his eyes (much to his distaste). “Who is she? Or…he? Th-They?”

Itaru pauses. How is he supposed to respond to that? Ah, shit. Guess he’s given himself away. No going back now, he supposes.

“Citron.”

She crosses her arms. “Huh?”

“His name is Citron. And how did you-”

“It was obvious.”

That’s not good…

“Ah, I see,” he says lamely. He can feel his sister drilling holes into him with her eyes. “He’s, well, an exchange student. Japanese, I think, is his second language.”

She seems to ponder for a moment. “Interesting,” she hums, before heading back to her room, leaving Itaru alone with his thoughts.

What was that all about… And just how obvious am I?

He shakes his head as if to shake away all his weird thoughts out before heading upstairs and into his room.

The moment he steps foot into his bedroom, his phone dings, and he doesn’t even have to look at it to know it’s Citron.

Hi itaru <3（っ＾▿＾）

Yo

toDAy I A lOt OF fUn At SCHOol WITh You!! WANt TO gO Out AgAin ItARu??

Like we did last week?

yES!

ight, tmmrw after school?

oK! :3

ight

Itaru isn’t quite sure how to feel. He should feel happy, right? His crush is going to hang out with him after school tomorrow, of course he should feel happy. He thinks he is.

Ugh, crushes are complicated.

There’s a reason I’ve always tried to avoid getting one… They mess with your feelings and are just inconvenient. He sighs. Though, I suppose one-sided love is quite

exciting. You get more time to play games, after all. God, there’s something wrong with me, isn’t there?

“Itaru!!!” Citron calls out to him once class ends. “Let’s go~”

“Aight. Where to?”

“I don’t know! We should just go and flow!”

“I think that should be “go with the flow” but that works too I guess.”

“Let’s go!” Citron exclaims, grabbing Itaru’s hand innocently.

Itaru’s head is a mess right now. Citron’s hands are warm. And smooth. Really freaking smooth. Itaru isn’t quite sure whether he likes this or not. He’s just going to assume he does.

And as if Itaru weren’t already totally whipped for him, Citron decides to shoot him a bright smile that absolutely melts his insides (which is every single one of his smiles, but that’s besides the point).

They end up stopping by a cafe and a few stores during their little “trip” before ending up before the door to Itaru’s house.

“Can we go inside?” Citron asks, a little too enthusiastically.

“Well, my sister’s not home so I guess.”

“Yay!!”

Itaru heads upstairs and into his room, Citron trailing after him with that smile on his face not faltering for even a moment.

Does this guy ever stop being so enthusiastic for a second?

Citron, as if his smile wasn’t already big enough, smiles even brighter as he steps into the room. “Oh! That is KniRoun? Why, games are the best source of entertainment, are they not?”

“You play KniRoun?” is Itaru’s response.

“Oh yes! It is common knowledge to know these types of things where I come from!”

Itaru chuckles. “Heh. Seems like my kinda place, if that’s the case.”

“Oh! You rhymed, Itaru!”

“Oh, guess I did.”

“Let’s play, Itaru!”

That smile, that goddamned smile of his. It gets Itaru every freaking time.


End file.
